BfS resources

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BFS kiosk network training resources


Muswellbrook Seniors Computer Club (Keith Harvey)


Keith Harvey has a range of BfS resources here on his site

Web-based resources
  • Keith's BFS resources including handouts and extra material from Blackboard Collaborate sessions that he has presentedthat are free to download plus extra material that could be of use to BFS kiosks and tutors. Most of the material is also now available on this wiki.
  • BayCon Group also offer free tutorials. These text-based tutorials have very good pictures of the screens that show what they are talking about.
  • Make Use Of is a site that has plenty of quite well written free manuals for a variety of programs and systems. These are downloadable as pdf and/or ebook format. If you are asked for a password it is makeuseof
  • Digital literacy: Accredited training resources
  • iPhone, iPod and iTunes tutorials has a lot of useful 'how to' articles about all the 'I' gadgets. To get at all the tutorials is not that obvious. You need to click the first link for each item, eg 'Ipad Tutorial' and then scroll to the bottom of that page. It could be better laid out.
  • The Khan Academy has a library of over 3,500 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.
  • Coursera is a company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free.
  • The Goodwill Foundation has an excellent and expanding list of tutorials at www.gcflearnfree.org/topics. Just click on the topic you want to learn about and a list of interactive slides will appear to work through. There are often good quality videos listed as well and these are linked to in the slides. The tutorials cover more than just computers.

Handouts and help sheets
  • To download these sheets, just right click on them and select 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As'. Usually they will save to your 'Download' folder.

Dealing with barriers to learning technology

Planning and managing training

Email
Keith's thoughts: The BFS system encourages Gmail for email. Whilst I'm a big fan and user of gmail, some seniors have already been setup with a hotmail or yahoo mail account. Better to get them more competent with what they already have rather than confusing them with yet another system.

Digital Photography

Windows Explorer

The Internet, Searching, Freeware

Online Shopping

Some Basic Windows Tips

Website Building, Calendars, Google Documents and Forms

EBooks

Facebook, twitter, Google+ and other social networking systems
  • HO-Facebook screen with exercises.pdf explains the Facebook screen and has some easy 'how to' exercises. Once many seniors overcome their media induced fear of Facebook then they really find it a very useful system.

Genealogy (Family Tree)

Windows 8

Android
  • Tips about Smartphones is a 2 page handout in Q&A format covering smartphones in general.
  • ipad, Amicroe tablet, smartphone tasks comparison is a table showing how to do common tasks on an iPad, Nexus 7, Amicroe tablet and a Huawei Smartphone. A study of this will show very little difference in how to do these common tasks.
  • Huwaei G300 Ascend handout is a 2 page handout showing how to do common tasks on this phone as well as an annotated screen dump of the phones desktop. Although it only operates with Android 2.3 these phones are currently available on eBay for $100, unlocked and delivered. They are a great little phone and intro to Android.
  • Handout - Android Tablets and Smartphones is a 2 page handout of annotated screen dumps showing common features on an Android device.
  • Handout Android Cheat Sheet is a 6 page explanation of the different icons and commands on an Android device.

Google+ & Google Hangouts

Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services (Ian Hall)


LACOTA (Geoff Greig)


Speech Recognition

Classroom Modules (Keith Harvey, Woodrising)

We are developing and using these modules for classroom training of seniors. Almost all modules are delivered over 2 hours to 12 seniors. Each senior has either an old W7 laptop, or they bring their own. We use a data projector to show the slides and any programs. Each module has powerpoint slides, speakers notes and relevant handouts all ready to go in a zip file. Some of the included handouts are also listed above.
Haven't used a zip file? Just click the relevant link below and download the file to your computer. Then double click the file to open it and display its contents. Finally click 'Extract' files and save them in a convenient place on your PC.
As we complete the modules the relevant files will be put on the wiki with links in the text. Feel free to use or modify them in any way that suits you. Just let me know if you do find them useful or have any suggestions to improve them.

Session 1 over 7 weeks
  • Cybersafety module covers items that are vital for everyone, even if they don't use a computer. Click here to order up to 100 free copies of the Little Black Book of Scams. We hand these out to all and sundry and stress on people to READ THEM. Two of the short videos mentioned can be downloaded here TSS Stevie's Scam School_ Rebate scam.mp4 and TSS Stevie's Scam School_ Romance scam.mp4. The other one was too large to upload but you can play or download them from scamwatch videos
  • Emails and Gmail explains the basics of email and chat systems. It uses pre-created generic gmail accounts for students to carry out the activities. Read the text file that is in this modules zip file.
  • Internet and Searching explains the basics of the Internet, browsers and search engines. I've found it important to get these concepts across as many are confused. The module then goes on to explain some techniques for getting the best out of a Google search.
  • Tablets and Smartphones module is in two parts. The first explains the various methods that a tablet or smartphone can connect to the Internet. This also aims to clear up misconceptions between wireless and wi-fi. The second part requires students having access to Android tablets. The slides are based on cheap 7" Amicroe Tab II tablets ($88). We have 6 of these and with 12 students they work as buddies. If you have access to other type tablets then you may need to modify the slides. On the Amicroe tablets it was relatively easy to capture the screens by simultaneously pushing the power and volume down buttons. One of the handouts gives the steps on how to do the basic tasks on an iPad, an Android tablet and a cheap Android smartphone. Note that also included is an earlier PowerPoint file that relates to generic tablets and smartphones. You will need to check what suits you best.
  • Picasa and digital photos explains what a digital photo is and then has the students doing various activities with Picasa. Just make sure each PC has access to some photos to play with.
  • Online Buying is based around explaining buying on eBay but also does explain bricks and mortar online buying plus Gumtree. The benefits of PayPal are also explained along with precautions such as delivery costs.
  • Burning and Ripping shows seniors how to download and use free burning software CDBurnerXP. It also explains how to rip commercial CD's to mp3 or wma file formats for use on a mp3 player, smartphone or CD for MP3 capable players.

Session 2 over 7 weeks
  • Cybersafety Refresher is a short 3/4 hour module to reinforce the knowledge above. We then use the remaining 1 1/4 hours to start on the following Windows Explorer module.
  • Windows Explorer and the filing system is probably one of the most important skills for computer users to master. This knowledge is not helped by, a no doubt well intentioned, Microsoft who keep changing the layout and name of Windows Explorer (now called File Explorer in Win 8). More confusion is created by Libraries, Favourites and Shortcuts and these are all addressed as well. When delivering this module you MUST stress that THEY have to organise their My Documents area and THEY have to play with Windows Explorer to learn it. This module takes about 3 hours total spread over 2 sessions.
  • Free software and Online Training gives them an introduction to where and how to safely download quality free software, of which there is plenty. It then goes on to show them about free online training sources, in particular www.gcflearnfree.org
  • Microsoft Word gives an intro to this powerful program concentrating on the ribbon, the quick access toolbar and placing graphics in text. It's really only an intro to to MS Word as that program has heaps more features in it that would take all year to explain.
  • Genealogy introduces seniors to some of the basics of recording their family tree using the free version of Legacy. It also lists some good sites and practices to get them started. It is also a topic that you could spend a lot more time on. This one really is only an intro to the subject as well as for those struggling with paper records.
  • Skype is a topic that many seniors look forward to as it allows them to keep in contact with distant family. A couple of generic Skype accounts have been setup so that students can easily see what happens when something is done on the other account. This lesson also gives some ideas about phone and internet plans.
  • EBooks and Calibre is a module that many seniors are finding handy. Those who travel are finding an eBook reader or tablet far better than lumping heavy books along. They can also book ebooks out of many of the local library without leaving their home. Calibre is an excellent free program for managing their ebooks and converting between the different ebook formats (aka 'the tower of eBabble!').

Demo Training Flash File Introduction to the Internet
**KH Handout - Android Tablets and Smartphones.pdf**